Just 5 days ago I posted about how I was satisfied with my Samsung S22 Ultra phone. I talked about how great the camera is and blah blah blah. Welp, I’m back on an iPhone.
Did Perry just feel guilty?
So Perry sent me a text yesterday afternoon from work and asked if I needed my phone for the rest of the day. “Of course I need my phone,” I thought. “I don’t guess so,” is what I said instead. He went on to explain that he got a new iPhone 14 Pro Max for himself — and one for me.
The phones are both purple and look so darned good I didn’t even want to put a case on mine. But I did. Because he bought a case for his phone, he rolled in with a matching one for mine. The only way we can tell them apart is the ‘always on’ display and so far, he’s not using the same background as I am. 😉
I’m happy and he’s happy.
The speakers are 1000 times better than previous iPhones, and the camera is great.
It’s definitely on par with the S22 Ultra and I wasn’t planning to upgrade to the S23 Ultra anyway. The main challenge is that I’m now sporting my apple watch again and it’s a few series spots behind the new ones. With the Oura ring still being my favorite wearable, I don’t care that much. At least for now.
TIL (Today I Learned): In the 1800’s bananas were seen as “immoral fruit” because of their shape. Fruit companies began issuing postcards of women eating bananas to advertise the fruit wasn’t taboo.
There’s a photographer that I’ve followed for a very long time — Jasmine Starr.
She left law school and became a fabulous photographer whose work has been featured in a lot of important places. She carved a niche on teaching photographers how to build a business via Instagram — and moved to teaching that content to entrepreneurs and the world in general. She has podcasts, learning platforms, bootcamps, and more. And then, she put her flag in the ground. She’s a business strategist. TADA!
Yesterday, she revealed she’ll be signing with a speaker agency. Among her many online money producing offerings — including a newly released mastermind group — she aspires to be a professional speaker.
I’d love to pull her aside after my 20 years in the industry and say, “GUUUURL!“
Pre-pandemic we booked an event where she had a workshop…
As much as I like her as a photographer and am a fan — she’s business savvy, no doubt about that — I couldn’t make it through her presentation. I didn’t listen more than 10-minutes before skipping forward hoping it got better. It made me sad. It felt like she was trying to be a whole different person than I perceived her to be. If this is now the goal, why didn’t she stick with law school?
I’m a creative/artistic type person. I like colors and photos and designing things — from photo composition to websites and layout for publications — to logo creation and more — I have my own style and I know what I think is aesthetically pleasing. My favorite brother is a content creator. While this employs creative thinking — it’s different. REALLY different!
And it’s a TOUGH business, you guys.
Like… so tough you can’t even begin to imagine. Welcome to the world of bureau exclusives and commissions — getting booked BECAUSE of a bureau and not getting booked BECAUSE of a bureau. The competition is fierce and there are a whole lot of hungry speakers out there — lots of amazing talent that will never reach potential in today’s market.
Welcome to a world where companies secure a speaker to check a diversity box as opposed to hiring one with a dynamic and engaging presentation filled with content relevant to their audience. It’s a world where color, sexual orientation and age aren’t supposed to matter… but where appearing not to care about those things accentuates the fact that they do care. (Otherwise, why not hire the best fit REGARDLESS of those things?)
Good luck, GUUUURL… you’re so going to need it, and I’d love to see you succeed.
TIL (Today I Learned): American cars in the 1980s were legally prohibited from showing speeds above 85mph on the speedometer.
I must be pretty darned special since I got a dozen beautiful roses for the occasion. Chocolates came along with the flowers and I made sure to put that heart-shaped box out of reach. Merida may be a pain but I do want to keep her around a bit longer. 😉
Phone camera photo comparisons…
I so miss my iPhone and Apple computers. I still have an iMac on my desk because I can’t seem to let go, but it’s no longer my main system. Every single time I think about switching back to my iPhone and setting aside the Android, I take a couple photos and compare them.
Standing in the exact same spot, I took 2 photos using portrait mode on each camera.
Photo taken by Samsung S22Photo taken by iPhone 11 Pro Max
Both phones have new versions recently released. I’ve read a ton of articles about them and their camera improvements — and results are that while both have improved cameras, Samsung’s version is still rated much higher than that of the new iPhone. It makes me sad — but the photos speak volumes.
I miss good ole’ Steve Jobs!
I’m about to purchase a new laptop and am leaning toward the MacBook — but gosh, Steve Jobs would never have let Samsung outdo the flagship Apple iPhone. Would he?
Happy Valentine’s Day, ya’ll. Hope someone in your life made you feel special today! ❤️
TIL (Today I Learned): The pilot episode of LOST was the most expensive pilot episode in TV history at the time. The network president who greenlit the pilot was fired for greenlighting such an expensive episode. (As an aside, I’ve watched the entire LOST series 4 times now — and I still absolutely LOVE it!)
Photos to follow soon of Christmas in January. The snow and frigid temps cancelled Christmas with Perry’s family at Christmastime, but at least it wasn’t rescheduled for July.
Today was just a cold and wet typical winter day in Indiana.
Perry’s family all live in different parts of Indiana — all about an hour and a half from here — and his immediate family is massive compared to mine. It’s just Scott and me — and Ben then Colette. Perry has a brother and a sister living and together they have provided him TWELVE nieces and nephews. I understand why he decided to simply have dogs. 🙂
Home this evening to take a photo… although only in the mid 20s, the sky was still lovely.
A1 or chopsticks?
Tomorrow, Perry and I are going out to eat Chinese with those Pesky Neighbors — and I’m not a huge fan of Chinese food. For them, and for Perry, it’s a favorite. Ben isn’t going because of work but he doesn’t mind… it’s a middle of the road food for him. This butcher’s daughter would much rather have steak.
TIL (Today I Learned): There is a genus of bees nicknamed “vulture bees” that are stingless and eat carrion (dead animal meat) instead of pollen. They still produce edible honey and can be found in North and South America.
I’m not going to use WhatIfItDid to complain about my job although there are certainly times I would LOVE to do just that. I know… I know… there’s a reason it’s called a job. But what I really want to do is a whole bunch of useless stuff and still get paid for it!
I should rephrase… I want to CREATE useless stuff and get paid for doing it.
I want to make homemade vanilla. (You know… the liquid I only rarely use when baking.) I want to store it in cool looking bottles with handmade labels and smile like Martha Stewart when presenting it as Christmas gifts.
I want to make homemade soap and candles and tarts — basically, all things that smell good. I want to paint (even though I haven’t done it since high school and have no earthly clue where or how to start). I’m talking about watercolors and oils… and I want every single finished product to be a work of art.
I need a new resume.
Ben told me yesterday that although he felt he was about 20 years behind where he should be insofar as his career/work, I could still do whatever I wanted. You guys, that makes ZERO sense. Although it made me feel good to know he thinks I’m capable of doing great things, it also made me question his sanity.
Then he said, “Just look at your resume!” Sadly, my resume doesn’t say one thing about creating useless stuff.
As I’m thinking hard about making a change, I’ll create useless photos of lovely sunsets right here at the place I love more every single day. 🙂
